Imperfect, Linux-powered, home-made smart TVs are the epitome of ad fatigue

DIY Home Screen for earlgreytv smart tv

Smart TV owners are increasingly exposed to ads and tracking. Ad fatigue, compounded by streaming providers’ tendency to force customers to sign up for ad-supported subscriptions, is understandable. We’re at the point where some would rather use a broken laptop attached to a TV than be subject to the watchful eye of the TV’s native operating system.

Earlier this month, as spotted by Tom’s Hardware , a blogger named Carl Riis, who calls himself a software engineer, shared his DIY project, a Linux-based “smart TV.” Riis’s project doesn’t stand out for its originality, cleverness, or cleanliness. In fact, if you’re the kind of person willing to pay a lot for TVs with strong aesthetic appeal, like ones that can look like works of art or appear transparent, you’ll be turned off by the EarlGreyTV. The system uses an old Lenovo laptop with a broken keyboard attached to a TV by a string. As Riis wrote, “It may sound a little crazy, but it’s a great way to keep things tidy while still having access to the laptop.”

The back of the DIY smart TV.

Enlarge / The back of the DIY smart TV.

The laptop is broken because Riis spilled tea on the keyboard years ago. The keyboard stopped working, making it difficult to turn the laptop on and off. “I have to short circuit two specific pins where the keyboard connects to the motherboard. For this reason, I removed the back, which probably also helps it heat up less,” Riis wrote.

Riis worked hard to make this project more than just using a laptop or smart TV to stream content and use a TV as a monitor. His computer treats its HDMI connection as an application and uses Debian Linux and, because of its simplicity, Sway as its desktop environment. Riis configured Sway to open the Firefox browser in full screen upon login. He created the Firefox homepage, which offers shortcuts to streaming services and anything else Riis wants, with a custom HTML file. He also customized Firefox using a userChrome.css file to give the browser a more traditional TV look, including no visible address bar and an on-screen pop-up that appears when the volume is adjusted.

Riis knows his TV setup isn’t the easiest and has its flaws, but he says it “meets my needs.” The EarlGreyTV is far from the most aesthetically pleasing answer to the downsides of smart TVs, but it’s still a nice alternative to the ads and tracking that have become prevalent in smart TV software.

In addition to a faulty laptop, Riis explains that his project uses a 55-inch Samsung smart TV he bought at a discount during Black Friday. According to Riis’ blog, even the screen isn’t perfect for the project:

Ideally, I would have wanted a simpler TV screen, just showing the display output. But this one was on sale, and I bought it. I’ve seen people do some really cool things, like triggering the TV’s hidden service menu to make it completely dumb. I might do that at some point, but for now, the usual settings might let me get rid of the Tizen OS.

Riis also got a USB-powered CEC adapter so the Air Mouse can power the TV and laptop on and off simultaneously, and since his 5-year-old computer’s HDMI port didn’t support this optional feature, Riis even shared ways to achieve iPhone casting with his design.

The package also includes an air mouse that doubles as a remote control, which Riis says requires a learning curve and feels a bit “fragile.”

Alternative to connected TV

Riis prefers to use a tea-soaked laptop dependent on a string and an adapter for entertainment rather than the smart TV operating systems already built into branded TVs. “I’m not here to bash other smart TV interfaces, but the short version of why I don’t like them is: tracking, ads, and lack of control,” Riis wrote.

TV operating system operators, including Roku, Vizio, Amazon, and LG, have a keen interest in expanding their advertising businesses and ad-tracking capabilities. Combine that with the relentless push from streaming providers to get viewers to watch ads, and it can be nearly impossible to get from your TV’s home screen to the show or movie you came to watch without first being hit with an ad. Roku, for example, recently started showing video ads on the Roku OS home screen, while Amazon has also been creating more types of Fire TV ads, including ones tied to the upcoming generative version of Alexa’s AI.

Someone like Riis who decided to spend hours designing this imperfect alternative is the embodiment of smart TV users’ ad fatigue. Of course, Riis isn’t the only one sharing ways to watch TV online without using a smart TV operating system or looking for smart TV alternatives due to privacy concerns.

Beyond ad fatigue, Riis is pleased with his ability to fine-tune his web TV and movie viewing experience with browser extensions “like ad/sponsor blockers or specific site blockers.”

Riis’ project is on GitHub, and he also shared a video of his work on YouTube, below:

Introducing My Custom Smart TV – EarlGreyTV